Straight-edge.



PATENTED MAY 12, 1908.

A. J. PERKS. STRAIGHT EDGE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17,1907.

[Mill/1 ammufoz 6 flieri' 1111 97 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT .I. PERKS, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO WEBSIER AND PE RIKS TOOL (OM- PANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, A OOPAltTNlCltSlIlI.

STRAIGHT-EDGE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT J PEnKs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Straight -Edges, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention relates to straightedges such as are employed in connection with wall paper trimmers. Straight-edges of this character comprise a substantially horizontal base portion and a vertical guide portion, and, in order that the straight-edge may properly perform its function, it is necessary that the guide surface of the vertical guide portion should extend in a vertical plane from its u per to its lower edge and that the lower ec ge thereof should come in contact with the paper or other supporting surface, thus forming at the point of union of the vertical guide portion with the base portion a sharp right-angled outer corner, and the object of the present invention is to provide an all metal straight-edge having such a corner.

\Vith this object in view my invention consists of certain novel features of construction and in certain parts and combinations hereinafter to be described, and then more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a straightedge embodying my invention and Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same.

The invention herein shown is in the na ture of an improvement upon the straightedge shown in the patent granted to me December first, 1903, No. 745,515, and issued to the WVebster and Perks Tool Company. The strai ht-edge shown in said patent was formed of a single piece of metal and was similar in its general outline to the straightedge shown in the present application. It has been found in practice, however, that it is practically impossible to construct a satisfactory straight-edge as shown and described in that patent, inasmuch as there is no known method by which sheet steel, of the character required, can be bent to form a sharp right-angled corner, the outer corner invariably being rounded. Certain alloys, such as brass, can, by a combined process of bend- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 17, 1907.

Patented May 12, 1908.

Serial. No. 384,236

mg and drawing, be bent to form such a sharp right-angled corner. These straightedges are usually approximately eight feet in length and two and one-half inches in width and are constructed of metal about one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness, the drawing being somewhat exaggerated both as to the width of the straight-edge and the thickness of the material. Owing to the excessive length and thinness of the straight-edge, it is not practical to employ an all brass construction, as brass does not possess sullicient rigidity to perform the function of the base portion of the straight-edge, and further, to so construct the straight-edge would greatly increase the cost thereof. In order to avoid the objections to a straight-edge constructed either entirely of steel or entirely of brass, I have devised the present straight-edge which consists of a base portion of hard non-ductile material, such as steel, and a vertical guide portion of a suitable ductile material, such as brass or other alloy.

In the form of straight-edge herein shown, the base portion 1 is formed of sheet steel which is so constructed that it will firmly grip the paper, but will not adhere thereto when the straightedge is lifted. To this end, it is here shown as bent upwardly between the edges thereof so that the outer edge only rests upon the paper, the inner edge being supported by the guide portion, as hereinafter described. The channel-shaped guide portion 2 is preferably constructed of brass, or other suitable ductile material, and comprises avertical member 3 and two horizontal portions 41 and 5 extending at right angles to the vertical member 3 and having their outer surfaces meeting the outer surface of the member 3 at right angles so as to form a sharp right-anglod corner at each point of meeting, thus causing the vertical guide surface of the vertical member to extend throughout the full height of the guide portion 2 and to have its lower edge adapted to come into engagement with the paper or other supporting surface. The base portion 1 may be secured to the guide portion 2 in any suitable manner, but I prefer to mount the same on the inner surface of the lower horizontal member 5, as shown in the drawwhich has been roughly cut or sheared and does not require that the same be dressed to a right line, as would be the case were it secured to the outer surface of the horizontal member 5, in which case it would be necessary to dress down the edge of the base portion 1 until it is perfectly flush with the guide surface of the vertical member 3.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a straight-edge which is constructed entirely of metal and possesses all the advantages of an all metal straight-edge, and which has a vertical guide portion secured to the base portion and having a sharp right-angled corner at the point of union of said guide portion and said base portion, thus enabling the vertical surface of the guide portion to be placed directly over a given line on the paper or other material to be out. This is made possible by the sharp corner which forms a line at the lower edge of the guide which can be moved up to the line on the paper. This is not true with a guide portion having a round corner, as in that form of guide, the outer surface of the guide is diverted from the vertical plane some distance above the paper, leavinga space between the paper and the vertical surface of the guide and rendering it very difficult to bring the vertical surface of the guide into exact alinement throughout its length with the line on the paper.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the eXact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modificationswill occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a straight-edge of the character described, the combination, With a base portion of non-ductile material, of a channel-shaped guide portion of ductile material having a vertical member and two horizontal members, the outer surfaces of said horizontal members and said vertical member forming right-angled corners at their points of meeting, and means for securing said base portion to said guide portion.

2. In a straight-edge of the character described, the combination, with a base portion of sheet steel, of a channel-shalped guide portion of brass having a vertica member and two horizontal members, the outer surfaces of said horizontal members and said vertical member forming right-angled corners at their points of meeting, and means for securing said base portion to said guide portion.

3. In a straight-edge of the character described, the combination, with a base portion of non-ductile material, of a channelshaped guide portion of ductile material having a vertical member and two horizontal members, the outer surfaces of one of said horizontal members and said vertical member forming a right-angled corner at their point of meeting, and means for securing said base portion to said guide portion.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT J. PERKS.

WVitnesses:

HARRIET L. HAMMAKER, F. W. SoHAEFER. 

